Sukta 78
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (not specified in the excerpt).
Devata: Agni (as purifier and stabilizer of the release).
Chandas: Mixed/prose-rubric + metrical line; likely Anuṣṭubh-like cadence in the metrical portion (requires metrical check).
Mantras
Mantra 1
वन्दमोचनम्। वि ते॑ मुञ्चामि रश॒नां वि योक्त्रं॒ वि नि॒योज॑नम्। इ॒हैव त्वमज॑स्र एध्यग्ने
Release from bondage. I loosen apart for thee the cord, apart the yoke-thong, apart the fastening-on. Here, even here, do thou, unceasing, wax strong, O Agni.
Mantra 2
अ॒स्मै क्ष॒त्राणि॑ धा॒रय॑न्तमग्ने यु॒नज्मि॑ त्वा॒ ब्रह्म॑णा॒ दैव्ये॑न । दी॒दि॒ह्य॑१स्मभ्यं॒ द्रवि॑णे॒ह भ॒द्रं प्रेमं वो॑चो हवि॒र्दां दे॒वता॑सु
Thee, O Agni, sustaining royal powers for this man, I yoke with divine brahman. Blaze for us here unto wealth, unto auspicious good; speak forth this (word), O giver of oblation, among the deities.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can mean literal restraint (cords, yokes, captivity) and also symbolic constraint—illness, fear, hostile magic, or obligations felt as something that ‘ties’ a person down.
Agni purifies and transforms: he ‘burns away’ constriction, carries the prayer through oblation, and then stands as a steady presence so the released condition remains firm and protected.
This hymn is materially simple: it centers on a cord/strap as the binding symbol and a fire (Agni). An oblation is implied in the second mantra, but the emphasis is on the act of untying and the mantra’s stabilizing ‘yoking’ of Agni.
Ask anything about Sukta 78 of the Atharva Veda
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Atharva Veda in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.